1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates in general to storage and dispensing containers for continuous material and, more particularly, to a recyclable lidded container especially for use with a chain merchandising apparatus for storage and dispensing of continuous lengths of chain.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Ordinarily, retail establishments which sell chain, cable, rope and the like, encounter a number of difficulties therewith. Because of the wide range of consumer needs a large variety of such items in various sizes and types is required to adequately satisfy the market. And thus, a substantial amount of in-store space must be designated for this purpose. In examining and selecting a chain or other continuous material for purchase, the customer often unwinds or otherwise unravels lengths of a number of different types of the material. Ultimately, one may be selected for purchase and the others left for store personnel to replace properly. In the usual situation, it is only a matter of a short period of time before the display site becomes untidy, and unsightly, if not dangerous, because of the jumble of merchandise which has been left behind. Often, a significant risk of in store falls or trips is presented by loose chain remaining on the floor.
Thus, there is a long-standing need in the market place for an apparatus for chain merchandising which allows the various types of chain, cable and other continuous material marketed alongside to be presented in a relatively neat fashion, preferably using a minimum amount of floor space.
Previous approaches have been to provide chain in conventional five gallon buckets or on reels, either of which may be mounted on an open rack to somewhat reduce the amount of horizontal space required to be used by the store for the chain display. Such displays still require a large amount of floor space and tend to become cluttered and generally untidy with lengths of loose chain.
Another inexpensive chain dispenser is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,556,293, issued to Schlueter, which patent describes a cubic cardboard box having completely flat parallel opposed sides and a plastic plate fixed to one wall of the box by staples, gluing or other fastening means after filling the box with loose chain. The plastic plate of the Schlueter chain dispenser has a small central opening and a pair of slots which intersect at the central opening in an X formation to define paired opposed flexible groping fingers through which to remove the chain from the box. Being of cardboard, the box of Schlueter is inexpensive, yet has a very limited life as it is subject to collapse upon stacking or shipping and will become mildewed upon exposure to moisture. Also, the Schlueter apparatus is not easily reusable, unless the plate is detached from its fixed position on the easily destroyed cardboard box.
A new approach to retail chain marketing has been developed and is described and claimed in a copending United States Patent Application by the inventor herein and includes a chain merchandising apparatus which is presently being successfully marketed. That chain merchandising apparatus includes, inter alia, forwardly slanted shelves preferably having indentations or grooves which run front to back on each shelf. The new chain storage and dispensing container addresses the problems seen in the prior art and is designed especially, although not exclusively, for cooperating use with the aforesaid chain merchandising apparatus.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a container for storing and dispensing continuous lengths of chain and other elongated materials in a manner which makes more efficient use of display space than previously known, the container being formed from recyclable material and being capable of being recycled itself and adapted with a snap fit lid of the same material.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a container of the character stated which is extremely strong and adapted for stacking of multiple filled containers for shipping and storage without crushing or accidental opening thereof, yet may be selectively opened by hand without the use of tools.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a container of the character stated which may be quickly and inexpensively mass produced in various sizes and colors by known blow molding methods, which container is capable of being reused indefinitely, and which container is especially well suited for use in combination with a chain merchandising unit having forward sloping grooved shelves.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a container of the character stated which is waterproof so as to be long lasting and to protect the chain or other material therein from rusting and yet is adapted so as to be safe from risk of drowning which would otherwise be presented to infants and small pets from such containers which have been emptied of chain and allowed to collect water therein.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a container of the character stated which is light weight when empty and provided with a lid portion which is optionally adapted to permit facile withdrawal of the chain from the associated container while preventing inadvertent return of the chain thereinto.
Accordingly, in furtherance of the above objects, the present invention is, briefly, a unitary container for storing and dispensing continuous lengths of chain. The container includes a box-shaped chain holder portion having a continuous open top edge adapted for receipt of a selectively removable lid, a bottom wall, and first and second pairs of opposed side walls which extend between and connect the open top edge and the bottom wall. A lid is adapted for secure yet selectively easily removable attachment to the continuous open top edge of the chain holder portion and has an integral chain dispensing and retaining structure for permitting access to and removal from the chain holder portion through the lid of desired lengths of chain. The chain dispensing and retaining structure is formed so as to permit effecting snug engagement of an adjacent portion of chain therewith for preventing chain removed from the chain holder portion from unintentionally returning completely thereinto.
The container of the present invention also includes, briefly, an integral chain dispensing and retaining structure which is located centrally on the lid and is composed of an integral punched portion of the lid having a generally keyhole shape with a central aperture therethrough and at least one pointed extension thereon. The punched portion is connected along the periphery thereof to the lid by integral connector portions to thereby provide integral chain dispensing and retaining structure of a form which may be modified from the central aperture to a keyhole shape by fast simple, removal of the integral punched portion of the lid and to provide an adaptation for dispensing the chain while permitting effecting snug engagement of an adjacent portion of chain therewith for preventing chain removed from the chain holder portion from unintentionally returning completely thereinto.
Other objects will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinbelow.